Red Rover, Red Rover, Send Alicia Right Over
by Nyte Quill
Summary: Cary & Alicia's interactions and reactions during "Red Team, Blue Team" Chapter 5 is up. It's over... for now. Enjoy!
1. Partners in Crime?

_Peace… Peace was wonderful_, Alicia thought as the door closed on the last of her guests for the evening. A long and strained day had ended in a few hours of spirited debate and diabolical planning. The very idea of making the partners quiver in their Manolo Blahniks was exhilarating, but the easy quiet she was currently sharing was much needed after so much activity.

Cary stood there in her entryway, looking decidedly_ Rebel With a Cause_ in a fitted black tee and classic leather bomber. He looked like he'd stepped out of an Urban Outfitters catalogue, or some 50s film about motorcycle hoodlums. And that dangerous eyebrow of his screamed mischief even as it pleaded to be smoothed over with the gentle brush of a fingertip.

When he spoke, his voice was warm and insistent and brimming with that trademark Cary confidence. "We should do it, Alicia. We should start our own firm." The blue plastic container of leftovers she was insisting he take with him hung momentarily forgotten in her hand. She had been irked to learn of his takeout diet, especially since he routinely refused her invitations to come over for dinner. Although she was not his mother, she found it difficult not to lavish a little maternal affection on him when she could. Ever since her literal cover-up of his "basketball" injury, she'd sought excuses to throw extra attention his way; at the moment, sending him off with a decent home-cooked meal was the least she could do... and the most he'd accept.

"If you brought Bishop and I brought ChumHum, we'd be the eighth largest firm in Chicago. Say yes tonight, next week we're the eighth largest firm, and you're the wife of the Governor." His subtle emphasis was having an erosive impact on her resolve to think things over. "Governor, huh? And you think Peter is just gonna give up his seat?" His gaze flicked to the ground for a second before meeting hers again, and she found herself wondering what that thought had been. Tamping down a question she knew would go unanswered, she switched tack and asked, "What about the financial aspect? We'd need money to do it."

"What did you have to borrow to get your capital contribution together?" he queried, taking a step closer into her sphere. She did not back away, instead letting him close the gap between them before he continued. "A few hundred thousand, right?" She gave a noncommittal nod. "Same here. We put it together, that's a million dollars between us. And _that_ is start-up money."

"Look, I'm sick of having other people control our fates too, but it's no better on our own, Cary. We're still controlled by people: the landlord, the clients. Look at Will & Diane. Do you think they're free?" "They're still freer than us, Alicia." He leaned in and placed a hand on her upper arm, gently squeezing just below her shoulder. "Come on. Do you really want to wait around for the next four years to see if we have to kiss more partnership ass? I don't want to do it. And I'm not even kidding; we could _totally_ pull this off. Say yes… to Florrick, Agos & Associates." She broke in with a small giggle. Cary's face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning at the sound. "Look at that. I just gave you first billing." The hand that was still perched on her arm gave a gentle rub as he pierced her with a very sincere look. "It's not as though you wouldn't deserve it."

"Oh I don't know. Couldn't we just be _Cary Alicia at Law_?" His quiet answering smile prompted her to joke, "I guess you're right; it sounds better with my name first…" Suddenly needing to break the visual thread between them, she tossed her head back and looked at the ceiling for a moment. Her gaze dropped a second too late to catch him tracing the line of her throat with his eyes.

Extending the leftovers towards him in an odd semblance of a handshake, she promised to think about it. He was taking a step back towards the door when he turned and pinned her with an earnest look. The simple statement, "We could change the world," urged her one step closer to him. "Do you really think we could?" Here he turned full to face her and his hand came off the doorknob. "I know we could."

Reaching up a hand with curled fingers, she shyly grazed her first knuckles in a short sweep from his cheek to his jaw. "Well we've certainly changed enough about our world. Why not everything else?" They smiled briefly at each other, then he captured her retreating hand with his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Night, Alicia." She squeezed back. "Good night, Cary." With that, he turned and walked out the door.

**Author's Note: So that's chapter 1. There is more on the way. Cary was just... too cute this turn; I had to play with him. But this is not going to be a romance piece. They're just friends.  
Whether you liked it or not, please review. They're appreciated.**


	2. Courtroom Battlefield

Will had come over to the table to warn them off. "Watch it, you two." He pinned Cary with a look that was blithely ignored in favor of turning his attention to his partner. The two junior counselors held each other's gaze for a moment, before Alicia faced Will and spat out a reply. "Or what? You'll… deny us partner?" It had the calculated withering effect of a grade school taunt, the same defiant "bring it on" tone that 10 year olds use with a parent attempting discipline. "Oh. Wait… already happened." She resumed gathering her things and packing her attaché case.

Will and Diane shared a look that long-suffering parents of rebellious teens the world over recognized, their concentration only broken when in one seamlessly fluid motion, Alicia spun and propelled herself out of her chair and towards the courtroom doors. Will trotted after, plucking at the elbow of her jacket to slow her progress.

"Wait. I had nothing to do with that decision, Alicia." He kept a gaze on her quarter profile, willing her to turn and look him in the eye. "You have to believe me." The sigh that escaped her forced her gaze up to the scroll work ceiling, before she exhaled in a deflated tone, "Oh Will. I don't care." She turned to leave again, drawing her arms across her body protectively.

"Alicia, wait. I wasn't even at that meeting," he urgently intoned in a low voice. She replied in an acid tone that effectively conveyed she couldn't care less. "Well that's good to know." Turning on her heel again, she tried once more to leave him in her wake. She made a single step's progress before his hand latched onto her arm, halting her exit.

His voice grew insistent, persistent. "Do you think just because our names are on the door that we control everything? We're just as much subject to the whims of the equity partners as you and Cary. They can outvote us."

She half-turned to face him then, her expression plainly stating she wasn't buying it. Her gaze flicked over his shoulder to Cary, who had been stealthily making his way down the aisle with a somewhat detached air, but Alicia knew he was ready to spring into action should the need arise. She subtly shook her head, and his advance stopped. He took a step back and adopted a relaxed pose against a bench as her gaze turned back to Will.

"Well, I guess we all have to learn sometime." As though no more trouble than removing a bit of lint from her suit jacket, she nonchalantly shrugged off Will's slack hold and pushed her way through the heavy double doors.

Cary was still leaning on the bench arm, hands in his pockets, watching her go with an admiring smile when Will turned to trudge back up the aisle to gather his things. As Will approached, he casually straightened and recovered his briefcase from the seat. That little smirk of his failed to hide itself as he opened his mouth to speak, then seemed to think better of it. He merely shook his head, clapped Will on the shoulder and walked off in search of his colleague.

**Author's Note: alright; chapter 2 is up. There are 2 more to go, if anyone's interested. You know the drill: whether you liked it, whether you didn't, feel free to leave me a review.**


	3. Thud, Ding, Sniffle- Cary?

Alicia heard the muted thud of footsteps pounding their way down the carpeted hall, the sole warning before Will flung his way into her office. "You have a problem, you bring it to me. You don't take it to court." She surged out of her chair with a flabbergasted, "I'm sorry?" "I said if you have a problem, you bring it to me instead of dragging it into court."

She projected a maddening composure to cover the tumult churning in her stomach. "I'm a lawyer, Will. You asked us!"

"Yeah. We asked you to take it seriously."

"I **_am_** taking this seriously," she shot back in a rising tone.

"You're losing us a client."

"That is not my fault."

"It damn well is your fault," Will retorted hotly as he got right up in her face. It was not the same congenial closeness she'd shared with Cary the previous evening. This was intense, and a little dangerous. She didn't think Will would ever actually hurt her physically, but the situation was taking a slightly concerning turn.

"Fine! If we're doing such a bad job, if you really want us out, then take us off it. Get rid of us. Fire us! It's not like you want us around anyway."

Will had the decency to look wounded before he snarled back, "Oh, really? And is that what all these secret lunch meetings are about? Is that really what you want?"

A tinge of incredulity colored her reply as she pushed back into his space. "Oh my god, Will. Would you listen to yourself? You are not the injured party here."

"Oh and I suppose you _are_, Alicia?"

"As a matter of fact, I am! Yes!" The atmosphere between them crackled with electricity like an impending lightning storm, full of tension and potential shocks if contact was made too close. Within an instant he took her in his arms, his mouth devouring hers. Her hand swung around and gripped the back of his head to deepen the kiss. He'd been sure for exactly one second that she was kissing him back until he felt the cold metal of her wedding ring against his neck burn like a firebrand and pulled away.

"No… no, no, no, no…" He turned, putting much needed space between them, unintentionally allowing her a clear escape.

Alicia beat a hasty retreat to the elevator, berating herself with every stalking step. She delivered a series of rapid-fire jabs to the down button, willing the car to rise quicker or the ground at least to be merciful and swallow her up. She pounded the elevator casing, cursing it for being so slow, and had just decided to take the stairs (stilettos be damned) when the car arrived and the chrome doors slid open. Frantic to escape, she threw herself inside expecting to meet the rear wall. Instead she met a hard unyielding obstacle wrapped in expensive linen, and felt two hands grip her shoulders in a bid to keep her upright. A soft shake sufficed to tip her head level, where she found two slate grey orbs of concern peering out from a familiar face.

He managed to utter an eighth of a syllable in asking if she was alright before she melted into him. She clung tenaciously to his neck and shivered a little as the doors slid shut again, and he resolutely pressed the **L** before wrapping her more firmly in his arms. He took a step back and she followed unconsciously, moving in tandem until his body was braced against the back wall of the elevator for support.

The majority of the silent trip back downstairs he simply held her as she dampened his shoulder, waiting for her to calm down enough to tell him what was wrong. There was no screaming, no hysterics, merely a gentle quivering; the tremulous action reminded Cary of a leaf on a breezy day in danger of being blown away from its mooring.

Something was obviously wrong and he was determined to find out what. He had always admired her, even before he got to the point where he could admit it to anyone but himself. She was brilliant, warm, caring, strong and endearingly human, not to mention a strikingly beautiful woman. But it was the inner beauty- the fierce loyalty, the ferocious love she bestowed on her family, even the maternal kindness she lavished on him- that made her truly stunning in his eyes. They had become something to close to friends these past few months, and he didn't like the idea of something upsetting her. Hot blood and passion were one thing; scalding tears were quite another.

When she finally regained a modicum of composure somewhere around the 5th floor, he gently turned her in his arms, so that instead of holding her, she stood by his side, a supportive arm wrapped around her shoulders. "Feel any better?" Her gaze never left the carpeted floor, but she smiled, sniffled and gave a succinct nod. In return, he gave her shoulder a slight squeeze, and simply said, "Good." A moment stretched out until they reached the third floor, and he asked if she needed to go back up.

She gave a deep sigh, and raised her eyes to the polished chrome opposite them; an indistinct watercolor reflection returned the look. "I don't really want to, but I probably should. I left all my stuff up there… I just had to go."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Finally, she swiveled her head to meet his gaze, and her mouth opened then slid shut again. She was inexplicably hesitant to take him up on his offer of a sympathetic ear; it seemed too much like the few times she asked her kids for help or advice. Not that Cary was her kid, or even a kid at all - not by a bloody long shot – but she still felt the need to comfort and alleviate his problems, not add her burdens to his load. He had enough to deal with.

Deciding to keep it to herself for now, she shook her head and tilted her chin up with that defiant determination he had come to recognize, mentally squaring off to do battle. Cary saw the change, the reinforcing of any small chink in the armor, and knew she wasn't going to let him in. He wished she'd open up to him more, but it was no great matter right now. He appreciated the warrior woman in her as much as the nurturing earth mother; every part of her was wonderful, separate but distinct and each wholly necessary.

They arrived at the lobby and the doors slid open with a loud ping! Shaken out of his laudatory reverie, he tried a new tack. "We could always get out of here. Drinks? Dinner? I think there might even be a late slasher flick at the theatre in Lincoln Park." She giggled, nudging his side as a thank you. "I'd love to, but… I mean, we have so much work to do, and I don't even have anything with me." Cary's head inclined towards the floor, and he gave her his tight-lipped look of irk. "Alicia, we may not be partners yet, but I still can afford to take you out to dinner every once in a while." He warmed to his pitch and pinned her with his trademark grin, eyes sparkling in playful challenge. "Seriously. My treat and my pleasure. You don't even need to go back for your stuff. I can drive you home afterwards and you can get everything tomorrow. Whaddya say?"

It was tempting. He could see she was thinking about it, weighing the charming draw of his company against facing whatever had driven her out of the office to begin with. Her lips curved, lifted, split open into an answering grin. She was going to say yes; he knew it.

**Author's Note: so here's part the 3rd, from the ill-fated kiss. It's probably ending in a weird spot, but this section just kept going and going like the Energizer chapter, so I cut it in half. Part 4 will have the rest.**

**You know the drill...**


	4. Drive for Normal

She had just opened her mouth and drawn in a breath to reply when the double _ding _of a floor indicator caught their attention and the car shuddered back to life. Steadily it rose for 6 floors before he snapped out of it and firmly pressed the emergency stop button. The car convulsed in protest and began whining a high pitched ring. He decided right then he would push every button between them and the 28th floor if it bought them the time she needed. Barring that, they could pick a floor, get off and take the stairs or another car back down. Whatever course of action she chose, he would be at her side.

She fixed her gaze on the ceiling for a minute, dabbing away the remaining traces of her breakdown and fluffing her eyelashes up with her knuckles like a heroine in an old movie. Exhaling a quick puff of air, she released the emergency stop, glanced back at him and smiled. "I appreciate the offer, Cary, really. I think I'll be alright now. But I wouldn't object to the company if you wanted to ride back up with me."

"Oh… sure. Whither thou goest and all that…" he responded with that slight drop in his gaze, as though gathering himself together, before looking her dead in the eye. A sudden gleam of impish delight lit his face, and taking a step forward, he deliberately punched every remaining floor button between them and the Lockhart / Gardner offices. She smiled at the thoughtful gesture, absentmindedly tracing a lit number with one manicured fingertip.

"You know," she began, in a mischievous voice sounding much more herself, "If we _did _start our own firm, what would drive them nuts?" Not needing to hear the answer for an anticipatory smile to light his features, he shook his head in the negative. The sparkle in her eyes was breathtaking as she continued, "If we took over the 27th floor." They dissolved into a fit of mirth, laughter filling the space so recently dominated by tears and silence. The elevator had traveled six additional floors before they noticed, and the doors had just begun their slide home when Alicia thrust her arm between them and watched them bounce apart.

Cary regarded her with an expectant, if slightly puzzled, air. She reached back, latched onto his hand and pulled him out of the car. They stood before the bank of elevators on the 14th floor, the offices behind them eerily quiet, and waited for another car hand in hand. When it arrived, she tugged him in after her, and hit the button indicating the ground floor. They rode down a few levels in silence, such a curious pensive expression on Alicia's face that Cary thought it entirely possible she'd forgotten they were still holding hands… not that he was in any hurry to remind her. The soft sure grip was comforting and warm, and hearkened back to childhood days of summer campfires and games of Red Rover and parents at the playground and best friends. His vision was beginning to blur suspiciously when a soft squeeze drew him back to the present.

The car had reached the lobby, and the doors yawned open before them like a sleepy gatekeeper. They walked out in match step, arms swinging between them, hands still clasped until they reached the door to the parking garage. Suddenly, she loosened her grip, slid off her stilettos and turned to face him. "Race you to the car." He beamed and laid a hand on her arm to even them up. "Winner chooses?" She nodded. "Deal. On your mark…" "Get set…" Before the word "GO!" left her lips, she bolted forward, tearing towards his S-Class in her stocking feet. "Cheater!" Cary's howl of mock outrage echoed off the concrete walls, followed in close succession by giggles, squeals, and a victorious shout as he eked ahead of her and landed hard on the trunk. She collapsed beside him an instant later, and they regarded each other from a mutual zero degree angle, breathless chuckles filling the space between soft gasps of air.  
"Man," he began, straightening away from the metal surface and fishing out his keys. "Didn't that used to be easier?" "Didn't _everything _used to be easier?" she panted in reply as she limped lightly to the passenger's side door. The sumptuous leather seats hugged them as they sank down with a perfectly timed sigh, and he turned the key in the ignition. As they backed out of the space and headed for the exit, he asked, "Alright, where are we going?" She tossed him a quizzical look. "Why ask me? I thought it was winner's choice." He smiled and shrugged one shoulder and turned his focus back to the road before answering. "Eh. We'll call it a tie. You can treat me next time."

Alicia pondered the verbal riposte, the twisted evening, the peaceful moment in which she currently found herself. It was nice, cool, quiet… except for the clicking of the hazard lights as Cary sat waiting for her to select a restaurant. Giving herself a mental shake, she perked up and ran through a short list of nearby eateries.

"How about… D'Noche?" Cary turned to her incredulously. "In Logan Square? I love that place! Have you had the black bean—" "Tamales?" she finished. "One of my favorites." "Alright. That settles it. You get the chuletas and I'll get the shrimp tacos and we'll share." Fighting a sudden urge to ruffle his hair, she simply smiled and rejoined, "Throw in a capriotada for dessert and you're on."

**Author's Note: so behold the end of chapter 3, or the Terminus of the Energizer Chapter. They'll behave better in part 5; promise.  
**

**I'm not even gonna say it. Final on the way.**


	5. Behind Glass Walls

Alicia knew she should be happy. She'd gotten what she wanted, hadn't she? A seat at the grownup's table, a real stake in the firm, Diane's breezy admission that they were peers now… But it didn't feel as good as she'd expected. In the back of her mind, one of the bastions of total honesty with herself, she knew if she'd passed and the offer had made its way to Cary, he would not have sold her out like this. The proposition would've trickled its way through the fourth year ranks until someone was unscrupulous enough to seize it. And that was how she felt. That was why the smile she flashed as she shook the hands of her new 'equals' did not reach her eyes.

Yes this was Chicago, and a law firm, and she was playing on a field rife with politics and favors and shady deals… It was what she wanted but she shouldn't have gotten it like this.

On the inside looking out, she spotted Cary through the glass walls. She felt like an excluded specimen, a goldfish in an expensive tank… populated by sharks. The look on his face was unreadable, just for a moment, before he quirked his mouth into a sort of smile and gave her that little nod of his. The _"it's all right" _look, the implacable mien of someone calmly accepting defeat. She had a second to ponder if he really meant it, if they could still be friends (even though in her heart she reassured herself that Cary's time would come and that it was for the best if she worked the system from the inside) before her attention was claimed by yet another new 'colleague' welcoming her to the fold.

If her gaze had held a moment longer, she would've seen Kalinda sidling up around the corner, a look of faintly disapproving pride on her face. She would've noticed Cary's demeanor instantly change to reveal a mix of pain and betrayal… and a flash of indecipherable sadness touch his eyes.

* * *

Cary had turned in the hallway outside the main conference room to bid farewell to a coworker when he'd spotted Alicia through the glass. God, she was graceful, impeccable, smooth as silk as she moved through the bland throng of equity partners like a tropical fish in a populated aquarium.

He was engaged in a mental debate as to whether he should leave before she spotted him or stay and see when her eyes met his. A breath caught in his throat as he stood like a deer pinned in the headlights of a semi, and the oddest urge to turn tail and run coursed through him. But he was no coward, and thanks to his father, he could turn expression on a dime. He'd grown up learning the hard way the value of a pop-up poker face.

He gave her the smile, the little exhale through his nose, the quick nod and watched the relief flood her expression before she turned away. The instant her eyes flicked away, he felt his face harden, the smile turn down to a hard line. The quiet _shhh_ of fabric sliding over the wall reached his ears just as a sandalwood trace hit the air, alerting him to Kalinda's presence around the corner. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her ease a little closer and cross her arms over the front of her indigo cashmere sweater dress.

"So…there goes our girl," she commented in a neutral tone. Cary strove to be just as cool in his reply. "I don't think she's ours anymore."

"You're probably right, but a girl can hope." Kalinda being Kalinda, she noticed his eyes still pinned to the subject of their observations, and spotted the tinge of pain in his steadfast gaze. Deftly changing the subject, she leaned over and touched his elbow with hers in a gentle bolstering tap. "Buy you a drink?"

The smile that tweaked his mouth was wistful, and probably a little bitter, but his gaze turned from the woman before him to the one beside him and he pulled himself up straight. "Make it two, and you've got yourself a deal."

As they turned to walk down the hallway, Cary couldn't stop himself from taking one final look over his shoulder. She was still engaged in a circuit of welcomes and conversational introductions. _Probably just as well_, Cary thought. If she'd seen his face at that moment, she would've seen it all.

**Author's Note: so that's all there is. Hope you liked it. Even if you didn't... you know the drill. Please read & review.**


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